Oxford, UK. WilliamsF1 launched their 2006
season race car, the FW28, at their headquarters near Oxford
this afternoon. The FW28 is a manifestly purposeful race
car, its defining visual cue being the aggressive barbed
sting on the back of the engine cover.

The car is both a response to circumstance, including the
shifting technical regulations and the new primary
partnerships the team has forged with engine supplier
Cosworth and tire company Bridgestone, as well as being its
own clear statement of intent.

2006
Williams CosworthWilliams

Clearly the biggest transition is the shift away from 3.0l
V10 motive power in favor of a 2.4l V8, and in Williams’
case, the new partnership with Cosworth. With the associated
power losses all teams will encounter, all Formula One
designers have been tackling a demand for higher aerodynamic
efficiency to help compensate. In the case of the FW28, this
became a fundamental design parameter for the car and is
reflected in many ways across the aerodynamic strategy of
the car, visible particularly in the design of the rear wing
with its decambered tips. The target in this area was to
maintain downforce while shedding drag at the wing tips.

2006
Williams Cosworth and 2006 driversWilliams

To support this strategy, a tall sidepod concept was adopted
which allowed a larger undercut and therefore smooth and
efficient air flow to the rear of the car.

While designers have been forced to grapple with recouping
power losses through aerodynamic efficiencies, the FIA dealt
another blow to designers by imposing a new restriction on
bodywork to the front of the car, removing the bottom parts
of any forward barge boards and, in the process,
dramatically altering flow dynamics around the front of the
car. The response in the Williams design office has been to
pursue a zero keel option to the management of the front
wishbones. This area of design has been one of fundamental
contention and revision across the Formula One paddock, but
the zero keel solution now clearly provides the most
efficient aerodynamic solution. In addition, the team has
progressed the cascaded front wing, trialed successfully in
the last two Grands Prix of 2005.

The revised three part qualifying format, essentially with
the first two elements on low fuel and the final session
based on race fuel, has had major implications for the
approach to 2006 race strategy and in turn, with the design
and all-important capacity of the fuel cell.

Equally, the regulators’ decision – after a season of
outlawing the practice – to re-enshrine tire changes has a
clear line of influence over the design of the elements of
the car that respond to the changing parameters of tire
wear, fundamentally in relation to the mechanical set-up of
suspension elements and weight distribution.

If the external factors were not sufficient to keep the
design office at Williams busy with the incarnation of the
FW28, the technically motivated switch to Bridgestone tires
(which the team last raced in 2000) has demanded a complete
revision of weight distribution across the car and a
re-formatting of suspension geometry in order to harmonize
the dynamic characteristics of the FW28 with the qualities
of the Bridgestone tire. Technical Director, Sam Michael,
commented, “The FW28 has been a large departure from
previous Williams’ designs due in part to new aerodynamic
efficiency targets, but also the mechanical challenges of
changing to Bridgestone tires and Cosworth’s V8 engine. It
has been a really interesting car to design and I believe
that will continue to be the case during its development in
2006.” The shift to Cosworth has been another fundamental
element in the genesis of the FW28.

The development of the CA V8 has been characterized by an
open and culturally convergent philosophy between the two
organizations, which has been nothing short of positive and
productive. As Tim Routsis, the Cosworth CEO reflected,
“Following the dramatic shift in the engine regulation
landscape, we are approaching an immensely exciting 2006
Formula One season with a mindset of cautious optimism. Our
partnership with WilliamsF1 continues to strengthen and the
highly motivated nature of the relationship has produced
extremely encouraging results since track testing began. The
CA2006 V8 was first installed in the WilliamsF1 FW27C
interim car in November last year, since when it has
completed in excess of 7,000kms of test mileage. Progress
achieved so far by Williams and Cosworth validates the
expectation of the partnership enjoying a competitive
campaign this season.” Alongside the new V8 powerplant in
the drivetrain design strategy has been the progression of
Williams seamless shift technology which is anticipated to
come on stream in the early part of the 2006 season. This
seven-speed, continuous torque gearbox owes much of its
development progression to the joint validation work
conducted on Cosworth’s dynos in Northampton, indicative of
the depth and strength of the technical partnership.
Seamless transmission can be worth up to 0.4 seconds over
the course of an average racing lap.

Fundamental rule changes and new technical partnerships with
Bridgestone & Cosworth have all equated to a heady cocktail
for the Williams design team to tackle. However, the FW28 is
a first design for Sam Michael’s new combination of Chief
Aerodynamicist, Loic Bigois and Chief Designer, Jörg Zander.
For the first time too, the design team has had the benefit
of two onsite wind tunnels dedicated to the new car from the
outset.

The team has progressed the development of the FW28,
together with the input from its technical partners, with an
added degree of relish over the winter. Although not openly
admitted, the extra challenge presented by the rule changes
has galvanized the engineers into a mood of positive
engagement. This is, in fact, where Williams should be at
its best. For Sam Michael the objective is clear, “The FW28
has a lot resting on its shoulders as it must re-establish
Williams at the sharp end. There are many good teams in
Formula One now and how to beat them is simple – design a
faster car.” The FW28 commences its first validation runs on
Tuesday 31 January in Valencia, Spain, ahead of its race
debut in Bahrain on 12 March.

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